Ashen Lao-Shan Lung Ecology
In-Game Information A giant dragon few have seen and lived to tell the tale. When on the rampage it wreaks havoc on all in its path. The guild has built a fortress to repel the beast, but will it hold? Taxonomy Suborder:Mountains Dragon - Family:Lao-Shan Lung - Species:Lao-Shan Lung. A subspecies of Lao-Shan Lung, The Ashen Lao-Shan Lung belongs to a class of monster known as the Elder Dragon. Lao-Shan Lung are one of the few Elder Dragons (along with the Kirin, Yama Tsukami, Jhen Mohran and Ceadeus) to not possess wings. This is forgivable, as they are quite literally the size of a small mountain. Habitat Range Only spotted in the Volcanic belt and the surrounding mountain ranges, Ashen Lao-Shan Lung must remain near large supplies of minerals in order to sustain themselves. Ashen Lao-Shan Lung will occasionally leave the volcanoes at any given point of time. Presumably Ashen Lao-Shan Lung could survive in almost any environment, given there are sufficient resources. Although, it wouldn't take long for a wandering Lao-Shan Lung to level an entire forest in its never ending quest for sustenance. Ecological Niche Ashen Lao-Shan Lung is considered a keystone species. Any given environment can only support a few individuals at any given time. Combine this fact with Lao-Shan's lifespan, which is an upwards of several thousand years, a single Lao-Shan may go its entire lifespan without seeing another of its kind. Ashen Lao-Shan Lung take an enormous amount of caloric energy to sustain their hulking forms when they awaken. It is unknown if they consume any meat or not. Biological Adaptations Ashen Lao-Shan Lung (As its name might imply) gets its coloring by absorbing mineral particles in the atmosphere near volcanic areas.Unknown, possibly a predator or idle grazer. Lao-Shans have very slow metabolisms, but must take in huge quantities of food in order to sustain their massive bodies. Mountain rocks and volcanic ores are said to make up a good portion of the behemoths' diet, but rocks cannot sustain such a large beast alone. It is possible that they scavenge large kills from large wyverns such as Akantors or other great predators, but this unlikely, as such an incident would not occur often enough to sustain Lao-Shans. Some suggests Lao-Shan Lungs are herbivores, taking in huge amounts of plants, but the creatures jaw and tooth structure do not fit a herbivore's build. A Lao's size dwarfs most other known monsters, including giants such as Akantor and Fatalis. Behavior Ashen Lao-Shan Lung is extremely docile, only directly attacking creatures that disrupt its feeding. The creature often takes little notice of hunters, but will occasionally tackle perches that hunters shoot at the creature from. This is good news for hunters, as if a Lao-Shan was actually interested in fighting it would not take long for the hunters to be crushed in any number of ways. The massive beast is most concerned with traveling from its Volcanic home to another one. An Ashen Lao-Shan Lung's chief behavior is feeding and sleeping. They have almost no territorial instinct, since no creature native to their habitats is large enough to openly attack them. Even Gravios' lava beam has little to no effect on Lao-Shan's armored shell. It is rumoured that the only living creatures that can intimidate Lao-Shan are the Fatalis. This is the chief explanation for why Lao-Shan irregularly attack the Guild fortress. Category:Monster Ecology